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Farina eyes new talent for Sydney FC

Ian McCullough

New Sydney FC A-League coach Frank Farina is targeting a new striker and a defender when the transfer window reopens in January.

The former Socceroos boss has wasted no time in making his mark on the club, axing football director Gary Cole on Monday and ordering his underperforming squad to do two training sessions a day early in the week.

Farina has also brought in strength and conditioning coach Anthony Crea and said, with the Sky Blues anchored to the bottom of the ladder more than a third of the way through the season, he had no option but to hit the ground "sprinting".

The former Brisbane Roar coach watched his new side draw 0-0 with Melbourne Heart on Sunday and put his troops through their paces for the first time on Tuesday, promising only that they would be "super competitive" in every game under him.

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"It's early days but, in terms of the game, I was pleased in some areas but we still have a bit of work to do," Farina said.

"It's a big job, Sydney is arguably the biggest club in the A-League and the expectation is very high.

"But the feeling around the place is that they are keen and enthusiastic and we'll get a lot more of that."

Sydney have accrued just seven points and face a difficult trip to Wellington on Sunday with superstar marquee man Alessandro Del Piero battling a hamstring injury that's likely to prevent the 37-year-old travelling across the Tasman.

Despite having one of the finest strikers of the modern game at his disposal, Farina is already targeting some extra firepower and also some reinforcements to a defence that's conceded a whopping 22 goals in nine games.

"I'd like to bring some players in during the January window - one or two if possible," he said.

"But it's whether the players I like are available. There's a lot of ifs and questions.

"I'd like one up front and also in defence, but I am not going to be able to bring a lot of players in."

Farina said the extra training sessions were not designed to be punishment, but rather an added chance to work with the players as he seeks a way to find their first win in six games.

"I'm hitting the ground sprinting - we need to get results fast," he said.

"In the past, things here haven't worked out as well as they would have liked, so we have to change something.

"But I can guarantee that we'll be super competitive in every game we play."